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The power of a scene is derived from the slightly claustrophobic feeling you get when you focus on the characters. They seem somehow trapped in a place, unable to leave. Through your writing you pan across the room, landscape, and set the context, before moving in for a close-up shot of the characters. Now reveal the pain, stress, hurt on your characters’ faces. In order to engage the reader’s imagination, your scenes must do one or more of the following:

Move the story through action

Characterize through reaction

Set up essential scenes to come

Sprinkle in surprise

A GOOD SCENE

Reveals information that moves the story forward with new goals, old secrets, and hidden motives

Shows conflict between characters (this adds tension)

Deepens the character’s development by exposing another flaw or strength

Creates suspense by introducing a new wrinkle that leaves the reader what will come next

MAKING A SCENE

Making a scene is as easy as: ABCD!

Action!

Static settings will put your readers to sleep, so get your characters moving. Show the world around them spinning. It can be something as simple as snow falling on a patio railing or bullets piercing the sides of the limo, but you must show movement. Make sure the reader “sees” something is happening. If readers can feel movement, that’s better.

Background

Open with action, then place the scene in context. Why are the characters in the scene? How did they arrive? What does your Lead want? Background IS NOT history. Background IS showing your Lead’s goal for that scene. Your character must want something. What is it? This is where you will state your Lead’s goal for this scene.

Conflict

Who or what stands in the way of your Lead reaching his goal? Present the barrier. Include conflict on every page. Never let your Lead relax. Show the struggle! Increase the risk of failure. Tension comes from unresolved conflict, so let the scene devolve into a mess.

Decision

At the end of each scene, your Lead must choose a course of action. A scene moves from struggle, discovery, choice, and change. Character choice, not circumstances, should drive your story forward. At the end of each scene present your lead with two choices and force him or her to pick one. The rapids approach. Should your character: Reach for the branch overhead or try to swim for the rock in the middle of the river. High stakes decisions at the end of each scene force readers to turn the page to next chapter.

SCENE SUMMARY

When you finish writing a scene, ask, “Is this scene necessary?” Read the scenes before and after. Does what just happened deserve its own scene? Could the information be placed in a neighboring scene?

A great novel is made from a series of great scenes strung together. Do that and readers will beg you to write more.

Eddie Jones is the founder and CEO of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. He is also an award-winning author with HarperCollins. Learn more about Eddie at EddieJones.org.